The Lusatia, and the other form of garden culture …

The garden culture of Lusatia is often described as fascinating and multifaceted, but on closer inspection, ambivalences, contradictions and blind spots are also revealed behind the cultivated idyll. The Lausitz, located in the eastern part of Germany and shaped by the federal states of Saxony and Brandenburg, likes to adorn itself with a long tradition of lovingly designedGardens that are stylized as a ties to home and value nature appreciation. In fact, behind the idyllic facade is not only a mirror of regional culture and creativity, but also a reflection of social challenges, historical upheavals and unresolved conflicts of goals.

Historical Roots – Tradition Between Necessity and Romantization

The origins of the Lusatian garden culture are often transfigured and romanticized. It is true that in the Middle Ages gardens were primarily used for self-sufficiency, but this supposed idyll was primarily characterized by hard work, deprivation and the daily struggle for survival. The orchards and vegetable gardens were less of an expression of a harmonious nature relationship, but rather oneexistential necessity. Monastery gardens, often named as inspiration for later garden culture, served not only for food production but also for medical care – the spiritual component is often in the foreground today, but covers the original function as a survival strategy. It is a mistake that historically roots of garden culture purely through the glasses of aestheticsand consider tranquility.

Scenic diversity – between natural beauty and man-made exploitation

The Lusatia is landscaped diverse: From the Spreewald with its wetlands to the Lusatian mountains to the areas furrowed through by the opencast mine. In the gardens of the villages you will find traditional farm gardens, which have a mixture of useful and ornamental plants geared towards efficiency and pragmatism. But the much-vaunted harmony is often only one side of the coin.The massive use of land by opencast lignite mining has not only extinguished villages and sealed soils, but also destroyed or suppressed centuries-old garden culture. What is praised today as a “tradition” is in many places a fragment of what once existed – and is often staged in a museum to assert a supposed continuity that no longer exists.

Urban Green – Parks as Islands in Social Change

In the cities of Lusatia, parks and green spaces are proudly presented, especially the Branitzer Park in Cottbus – a legacy of eccentric nobles like Prince Pückler, which is now considered a symbol of garden art and urban identity. But here, too, reality is far less idyllic than the well-groomed lawn and the artistically arranged paths suggest. the urbanGreens suffer from chronic under-financing, increasing littering and overexploitation by a growing population. Civil commitment today is often a desperate act to preserve what has remained of the former splendor. The expectation that parks are “social oases” regularly collides with vandalism, noise and conflict of goals between those seeking relaxation,dog owners and other user groups.

Allotment gardens – places of retreat or social division?

The Lusatian allotment garden culture is celebrated almost reflexively as a haven of relaxation, community and self-realization close to nature. Especially in a region that has been shaped by opencast mining and the consequences of structural change for decades, the plots are considered “green lungs” and places to integrate. But allotment gardens are by no means just refuges for stressed city dwellers. They don’t serveRarely as a stage of social control, exclusion and petty-bourgeois power games. The strict rules that prevail in many places cement conformism and prevent innovation. If you don’t fit into the picture or don’t adapt to the collective, you’ll quickly become an outsider. The alleged “community” often proves to be deceptive, and social mixing is less than it issuggest public narratives. In addition, allotment gardens are increasingly coming into conflict with urban planning goals and the need for housing due to competition.

Ecology and sustainability – and reality in contradiction

The garden culture of the Lausitz boasts a sustainable approach to nature and resources. But the reality is very different: The use of peat, artificial fertilizer and pesticides is not uncommon in private gardens either. The dominance of exotic ornamental plants and the trend towards “stone desert” contradict the propagated picture of ecological diversity. Many gardens are far fromto be considered biodiversity hotspots. Knowledge of old varieties and traditional cultivation methods is disappearing, while fashionable trends such as English lawns or Mediterranean plants prevail. The much-praised close to nature is often just lip service – real ecological responsibility remains the exception.

Between preservation, self-deception and necessary change

The Lusatian garden culture is undoubtedly deeply rooted in the region and reflects a long tradition. But if you take a closer look, you will not only recognize the beauty and diversity, but also the downsides: loss of tradition, ecological deficits, social conflicts and the constant threat of economic interests. It’s time to not only consider gardening asCelebrating a folkloric figurehead, but rather critically questioning how much of the idyll invoked is still authentic today – and how much courage and innovation would be necessary to make it fit for the future for future generations.